Good Monday morning!

Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski said on Election Night, when it seemed clear he was going to lose to Republican Tom Kean Jr., that he would have won under his old district lines.

I don’t have the data skills to run those numbers, but given what we saw in the last election, that sounds plausible. And so it’s ironic that New Jersey’s most embattled Democrat may have survived under the previous Republican-drawn map when his own party’s map threw him under the bus to help three other incumbents, all of whom won comfortably.

Even Mike DuHaime, who played a huge role in drawing the previous congressional map as leader of the GOP redistricting team, said so. “Yes, Democrats screwed Malinowski at the outset. Mikie Sherrill, Josh Gottheimer and Andy Kim proved to be strong incumbents who didn’t need such gerrymandered districts to win re-election,” he told the Star-Ledger.

So of course there are recriminations now that it’s apparent Democrats gave up a seat when they could have avoided it. But no one was so confident that the fall of Roe v. Wade would work so heavily in their favor in last week’s elections. Admit it: If someone told you last Monday that Democrats would come out of this election with control of the Senate intact and a realistic, if outside, chance to retain control of the House, you would’ve thought they were bordering on delusional.

I haven’t heard Malinowski address whether he’ll run again, but Kean isn’t going to get a pass from Democrats in 2024.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 281

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Bill Moen and Shanique Speight, John Burzichelli 

WHERE’S MURPHY? — No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There’s a little Black woman walking, spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees. I don’t know what the hell she’s doing, it scares me though.” — Caldwell Republican co-chair Gordon Lawshe in a phone call to police about his 9-year-old neighbor who was in her own yard killing lanternflies.

2025 — “Who’s the next governor? Mikie Sherrill, the big winner on Tuesday, has a clean shot,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “It’s way too early to predict who will win the race for governor in 2025, but give me some odds, and I’ll take a bet on Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the big winner on Tuesday. She whomped her Republican opponent by 17 points, the largest margin by far among the four Democrats in swing districts. Sherrill’s 11th District leans blue by just 6 points, which means she won loads of Republican votes. She was the Democrats’ top vote-getter on Tuesday.

"Put her on the November ballot in New Jersey, which also leans blue by 6 points, and she’d be tough to beat. Put big money behind TV ads showing her in her Navy flight suit on a military helicopter, and posing with her picture-perfect family, and it’d be damn near impossible. ‘She’s been in the military, and she doesn’t come across as highly partisan, which is what people are looking for,’ says former Gov. Christie Whitman."

THE SLIGHTLY-MORE-DANGEROUS GAME — “N.J. Game Council may approve December bear hunt in public meeting Tuesday,” by The New Jersey Herald’s Bruce A. Scruton: “The New Jersey Fish and Game Council moved its Tuesday meeting to the State Museum Auditorium in anticipation of public interest in the discussion and likely vote by the council to approve a December bear hunt. ... If approved, the emergency rule would allow for a bear hunt to coincide with the annual December six-day shotgun season for deer. The rule would also allow for the bear hunt to be extended up to six more days should management goals not be met.”

THE LEGISLATURE'S BEST ANCHOR SINCE DIANE ALLEN — ”Lawmakers eye another expansion of new tax rebate program,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: “New Jersey lawmakers are poised for a minor expansion of a newly enacted property tax rebate program. Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex) earlier this week introduced a bill that would expand awards under the $2 billion ANCHOR program to renters living in buildings that make payments in lieu of taxes.”

DIMAIO ON THE SHAM SANDWICH —  “GOP leadership: Here’s why New Jersey’s property tax relief is a sham,” by John DiMaio for The Star-Ledger: “The ANCHOR program, which spends $2 billion of your money for 'property tax relief,' isn’t real relief at all. The best way to provide relief is for the government to stop taxing so much in the first place. In other words, actually lower taxes. Murphy won’t do that. He has raised over 60 taxes, and 80% are disproportionately paid by the poor and middle class — like raising the tax on health maintenance organizations for the second time to 5% from 3% and creating a new 2.5% tax on health care premiums. Those taxes are regressive, just like property taxes.”

—“Retired judge: New Jersey’s ‘veto power of one’ leads to justice delayed and justice denied | Opinion” 

RUTHERFORD B. HATE — “Comedy show featuring Proud Boys founder canceled at last minute in Rutherford,” by The Record’s Nicholas Katzban: “A comedy show slated to feature Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, who also co-founded VICE Magazine, was canceled at the eleventh hour Thursday after police intelligence led authorities to believe the event could incite conflict, as activists were allegedly organizing a protest outside the event, police Chief John Russo said in an interview Friday. … Russo said he reached out to McInnes on Thursday regarding why he'd advised the venue to cancel the event.

"‘I explained to him the situation and, obviously, he was not happy,’ the police chief said. ‘But there was no way that I could have provided adequate security with the time frame given.’ … Russo said he was unaware of McInnes' reputation and suggested the cancellation was purely from a security perspective, as his department's intelligence division was seeing threats made against the performer online.”

—Ciattarelli: “The election's over. Now it's time to 'lay down arms' and start governing” 

—“​​Here’s the really tough choice facing N.J.’s newest Republican congressman” 

 
HUGHES NEWS — “Doug Palmer may challenge Brian Hughes for Mercer County executive,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wilstein: “Former Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer is mulling a challenge to five-term Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes for the Democratic nomination next year. Palmer is planning to announce an exploratory committee on Monday, the same day Hughes plans to announce his re-election bid at Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo’s IBEW Local 269 union hall in Lawrenceville.”

—“'Stacks of ballots' found in Mercer Voting machines, according to sources” 

—“After Bungled ballots, machines malfunctioning, officials calling for overhaul of Mercer County elections system” 

MATAWANTON — “N.J. town’s short-lived plan to trap, kill feral cats ends after fierce backlash,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brianna Kudisch: “A plan by a Monmouth County town to trap feral cats and kill them after a week if they went unclaimed has been abandoned after fierce backlash from residents and animal advocates. Matawan police distributed the notice ... [stating] all roaming or feral cats trapped by the borough’s animal control officer would be impounded and 'any cat not claimed within seven days of being trapped will be destroyed by the Monmouth County SPCA.'

"But the Monmouth County SPCA ... had no involvement in the distribution, said Executive Director Ross Licitra, who is also a county commissioner. ‘We weren’t even made aware of this, and you’re using our name, and it’s using our name in a disparaging way,’ Licitra said he told the borough’s mayor.”

GROSSI’D OUT — “Election trouble,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “I got a text Tuesday evening about ‘very long’ lines at polling places here, so long, in fact, that some gave up and left … And [Morris Dem Cahair Amalia Duarte] identified a culprit, Ann Grossi, the Republican county clerk. After referencing long lines in Chester, Duarte said, ‘It’s appalling that with so much time to prepare for an election, such basic, fundamental mistakes were made by County Clerk Ann Grossi.’ … Grossi, who has been a target of Dems before – like when she ran for reelection in 2018 – expressed annoyance with being blamed for every problem at the polls.”

WILDWOOD — “911 calls capture 'nightmare' car rally in Wildwood,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “‘It’s starting to be a dangerous situation out here,’ a man warned. He told the 911 dispatcher he was calling from Hand and Park avenues and that police were needed. It was Saturday evening, Sept. 24, and the city’s 911 dispatchers were fielding dozens of calls from frightened, frantic and angry citizens over a pop-up car rally that had come to town that weekend. The 911 calls ... paint a picture of a city under siege and a police department struggling to respond. ... The source of the chaos: the H2oi car rally, which officials in Ocean City, Maryland, had worked for years to move from their town.”

—“[Willingboro] renames its parkway to honor veterans and erase a reminder of racist past”

—“Huge crowd, celebrities fill Bayonne park for unveiling of Wepner statue” 

—“Gottheimer’s cousin wins in historic Democratic North Caldwell flip”

—“Jersey City advocates, officials denounce $4.7B NJ Turnpike extension at park protest” 

—“Democrats largely prevail [in South Jersey], but reversals loom in Pemberton Twp., Washington Twp” 

—“Morris County sees mix of newcomers, incumbents win in contested school board races” 

—Juliano ”Bergen County Democrats beat back Trumpist extremism. Here's how” 

R.I.P. — “Bayonne Police Capt. Paul Jamolawicz, 37-year veteran of the department, dies suddenly” 

THE MADE IN CHINA ‘SUPPORT OUR TROOPS’ YELLOW RIBBON CAR MAGNETS FROM 2003 FAILED TO LIVE UP TO THEIR PROMISE — “Vets face financial hardships, study shows,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo Stainton: “for one in four New Jersey veterans — and nearly one in three Black vets — it is a daily reality. Disabled veterans are more likely to face financial hardships. A report released Friday by United for ALICE, the research arm of the United Way of Northern New Jersey, found that 24% of New Jersey’s nearly 295,000 veterans fell below the federal poverty line or struggled to pay for housing, child care or food.”

GONEACOLOGISTS — “A shortage of OB-GYNs looms. Why are they fleeing N.J.?” by NJ Advance Media’s Spencer Kent: “Relatively low salaries, sky-high malpractice insurance premiums, lower insurance and Medicaid reimbursement rates, an exorbitant cost of living and the state’s litigious climate are driving away the specialists. The result is a looming shortage of OB-GYNs in New Jersey. It’s already happening in Cape May County, where hospital obstetrical care is no longer available. In September, Cape Regional Medical Center in Middle Township — the only hospital in the county — ceased its obstetric services after struggling to hire OB-GYNs. Women will have to travel 20 or 30 miles to the nearest hospital.”

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER BIG STORM — “NJ flooding risks are worse than ever. So why do 42,000 fewer homeowners have insurance?” by The Asbury Park Peess’ Amanda Oglesby: “Fewer New Jersey homeowners own flood insurance today than they did a decade ago, and tens of thousands of state homes damaged during Superstorm Sandy have not yet been elevated to withstand the next storm, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is down about 42,000 policies from the peak .... It represents a 17.5% drop in a decade.”

MUNCHERDON COUNTY — “Long-time activists hope to make mark with N.J. city’s first adult legal weed store,” by NJ Advance Media’s Suzette Parmley: “Lambertville, a touristy town known for its eclectic art galleries, antique shops and free spirit, could soon add another offering: legalized recreational adult weed. Baked by the River, operated by entrepreneurs and long-time weed activists Cord Schlobohm and Jesse Marie Villars, is well on its way to becoming the first cannabis micro-business in the city. ... Schlobohm, 31, and Villars, 30, are each former opioid addicts who have been clean for the past decade. Both have past marijuana convictions. Schlobohm had his expunged last year under New Jersey’s cannabis legalization law.”

—“N.J. Hall of Fame brings out Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr for Max Weinberg, Bon Jovi for Chelsea Handler” 

—“Toxic compounds seeped into man’s property. The cleanup could cost him everything, he says”